How Flux works

Flux is an AI hardware engineer. Give Flux a device goal, and Flux plans the work, designs the complete device, checks it, and prepares it for manufacturing.

Start with a goal

Ask Flux to turn your device goal into a complete design.

Design a low-power air-quality monitor. Include its sensor, power source, wireless link, enclosure, and manufacturing requirements.

Create a handheld inspection tool with a replaceable probe, USB-C charging, and a two-part enclosure.

Plan a small solar weather station. List the requirements you need before you design the electronics, enclosure, firmware, and wire harness.

Describe what the device must do. Include its size, operating conditions, interfaces, power needs, and manufacturing requirements. Flux uses the project context and your requirements to plan the design.

Open the project's Chat panel.
Select Agent.
Describe the device and its requirements.
Answer Flux's questions about missing values or design choices.
Review the plan and ask Flux to continue with the design.

Design the complete device

Ask Flux to plan work across the areas that make your device.

Design a low-power sensor board with USB-C, a battery input, and a replaceable sensor module. Add test points and prepare the BOM.

Review this schematic and PCB. Improve the power input, place the components, route the traces, and explain the changes.

Design an enclosure for this board. Align the mounting holes and connector openings with the PCB, and include the battery compartment. Make it a two-part enclosure with snap fits, check component clearance, and prepare the 3D-printing files.

Flux works across the areas that make a device:

Electronics: select parts, create the schematic, and design and route the PCB.
Firmware: write and check firmware for the device.
Mechanical design: create parts and assemblies that fit the board and its components.
Wire harnesses: connect boards and devices with wires and matching connectors.
Simulation: check circuit behavior, electromagnetic performance, temperature, flow, and motion.
Manufacturing: prepare fabrication files, compare quotes, and order parts and assemblies.

Flux keeps these areas connected in the project. For example, the board and its components can guide the enclosure design, and the design can guide firmware and manufacturing work.

Check the design

Ask Flux to check the design and explain the results.

Run ERC and DRC checks on this board. Summarize the findings by net.

Prepare an FCC/CE Technical Construction File and a Safety Analysis for this wireless controller.

Create an FMEA report for this device and list the highest-priority design changes.

Flux runs engineering checks and simulations as it works. Ask Flux to review results, compare design changes, and update the project.

Ask Flux to run ERC and DRC checks, create an FMEA report, or prepare regulatory project documents such as a safety analysis or an FCC/CE Technical Construction File. To talk with an electrical engineer, select Get Free Expert Help in the chat card and request a free review call.

For work across separate projects, see Parallel threads. For simulation examples, see Simulation with Flux.

Get a second opinion

Ask Flux for a second opinion on a datasheet interpretation or wiring plan.

Get a second opinion on the BME280 pinout from its datasheet before I wire it. Summarize the reviewer's findings.

Review the regulator feedback network against the datasheet. Give me a second opinion on the resistor values and assumptions.

Flux compares the interpretation or wiring plan with the component datasheet and summarizes the second opinion.

Ask Flux to explain, calculate, or change the design

Ask Flux to select, add, edit, or remove parts. Flux can explain a design, calculate a value, compare design options, and extract information from datasheets. Flux records project changes so you can review the design history.

Replace U3 with a regulator that supports a higher output current. Explain the changes to the schematic.

Calculate the output voltage and current draw for this resistor divider.

Compare these connector options by pin count, current rating, and board space.

Increase the motor bracket wall thickness to 4 mm and move the mounting holes 6 mm farther apart.

Read the maximum input voltage and operating temperature from the attached datasheet.

Open the project and select Show Chat to open the Chat panel. Select Agent for a design change or Chat for an explanation, calculation, or comparison.

Prepare the device for manufacturing

Ask Flux to prepare the files, quotes, and parts list for your device.

Design a handheld air-quality monitor. Include the electronics, firmware, enclosure, and a wire harness. Check the design and prepare a bill of materials and manufacturing files.

Prepare the fabrication files for this board and get quotes for the PCB and enclosure.

Compare prices and lead times for the parts in this BOM. List available alternatives for parts with long lead times.

Flux can prepare manufacturing files, compare prices and lead times, and create a bill of materials. Review the complete design in the project, then ask Flux to prepare the files or quotes you need.

Wire harness quotes

Ask Flux to design, quote, and order a harness in Wire harnesses with Flux and Wire harness quotes and orders.

Steer Flux while it works

Send Flux a message while it works to change its course at the next step. Earlier work stays in the project.

Put the connector on the other side. Add a power switch and ESD protection.

I prefer an ADI LDO. Use one that meets the board's power requirements.

Stop after the schematic and show me the design before you continue.

Send your message in the chat while Flux works. Flux reads it at its next step and changes course. Select Stop agent to stop Flux. The chat shows Flux stopped.

Flux works in the background

Ask Flux to continue with a task that can take several steps.

Continue designing this device. Finish the enclosure and firmware, then summarize what you changed.

Prepare the fabrication files and manufacturing quotes for this board. Report the results in this chat.

Work through the design checks and update the project with the results.

Flux works on its own cloud computer, not on your computer. Flux keeps working when you close the tab or browser. Open the project again to see the result and what Flux did in the chat.

Choose a model or let Flux choose

Ask Flux to use Adaptive or a model that fits the task.

Use Adaptive to design the power input for this sensor board.

Use Max to review this schematic and PCB layout.

Use Lite to refine the mounting bracket for this assembly.

Flux uses frontier models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. Select Adaptive (the default) to let Flux choose a model for each task. You can also select Max, Lite, or a specific model. See Model selection.

Work in parallel threads

Ask Flux to work on separate tasks in side threads or in other projects.

Design the enclosure in a side thread while you finish the PCB in this thread.

Start a thread in the motor-control project to review its schematic and select parts.

See Parallel threads to follow work across threads and projects.

Full project context

Ask Flux to use the whole hardware project when it plans or changes the design.

Read the project requirements, schematic, PCB, and enclosure. List the open design decisions.

Review the simulation results and ERC/DRC checks. Update the project docs with the findings.

Find parts with live pricing and stock for this design, then compare suitable alternatives.

Flux reads and edits the whole hardware project. This includes requirements and project documents, the schematic, PCB layout, 3D and CAD models and assemblies, firmware, simulation results, design checks such as ERC and DRC, parts, and pricing and availability. See Project files, Mechanical Design, Simulation with Flux, and Part Library.

Connect your tools (MCP servers and secrets)

Flux can call any web API and use any MCP server for you. Give Flux a key, and Flux gets your distributor prices, your PLM and ERP data, your device telemetry, and your test results, and uses them in the design. Ask Flux to use a connected tool or to connect to a service that needs a key.

Use the connected MCP server to check this project's open manufacturing tasks.

Use our parts API to check availability and lead times for every component in the BOM.

Compare this BOM with the released BOM in our PLM system and list the differences.

Use Particle for device telemetry. Ask me to provide an API key in chat when you need it.

When Flux needs an API key, Flux asks you for it in chat. See Integrations and secrets and Use Flux in your AI tools.

Flux's computer desktop

Ask Flux to use its graphical desktop to inspect a design or a web page.

Open this board file in a desktop 3D viewer, rotate it, and tell me which component bodies are missing.

Open the web 3D viewer for this assembly. Inspect the mounting points and describe any visible gaps.

Open the product page in a browser and compare its listed dimensions with the enclosure in this project.

Flux can open desktop apps and web pages, click, type, and look at the screen. While Flux uses the desktop, the chat step shows the live desktop with a Live badge. The live view is view-only. You watch while Flux controls the desktop. When the step is done, the live view changes to a screenshot. Select the screenshot to open it larger.

How Flux differs from general coding agents

Ask Flux to design hardware in the project, then use a connected coding agent to work with the same project through the Flux MCP server.

Design this sensor board, enclosure, and firmware as one hardware project.

Search for parts with live pricing and stock, then compare them with the parts in this design.

Prepare the fabrication files and get a quote for this board.

Flux works directly with a complete hardware project. General coding agents such as Claude Code and Codex work with code and files in a repository.

Area	Flux	General coding agents such as Claude Code and Codex
Project context	Reads requirements, project docs, schematic, PCB, 3D CAD, firmware, simulation results, and checks together	Read code and text files in a repository
Editors	Edits the schematic, PCB layout, and 3D CAD in the Flux editors	Edit code and text files
Parts data	Searches the Part Library with live pricing and stock from suppliers	Use part data that you give them or that a connected tool supplies
Simulation and checks	Runs circuit, electromagnetic, and thermal simulation, and ERC and DRC, on the design	Run the scripts and tools that you install for them
Manufacturing	Prepares fabrication files, gets quotes, and places orders	Write files that you then send to a manufacturer
Background work	Works on its own cloud computer with hardware design tools installed, and continues when you close the tab	Work in a terminal, an editor, or a cloud environment with the tools that you set up

You can use Claude Code or Codex together with Flux through the Flux MCP server.

Keyboard shortcuts

Action	Shortcut
Open the command list	`/`
Move through commands	Up and down arrows
Select a command	`Enter` or `Tab`
Close the command list	`Escape`

Privacy and security

Read the Privacy Statement for information about Flux data and privacy.

Continue with Flux

Ask Flux to continue from the current project context.

Choose a model for the next task, then continue the design.

Start separate threads for the PCB and enclosure work.

Use the project files and connected tools to finish the design.

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